Wednesday, May 18, 2011

A View from the Cheering Section

This week, Emilie asked if I could share a father's perspective on her goal of completing an Ironman just a few years after her battle against Stevens Johnson Syndrome.

The two situations are completely different and yet they show the extremes of where life can take you. The Ironman and SJS have been the Alpha and Omega of my daughter's physical life. As a father I will take immense pride when the horn sounds and Emilie jumps in the water for the first leg of the Ironman. As a father I've also felt the despair seeing my daughter fight for her life and feeling like there was nothing I could do to help her. Now I know where the gray hair really comes from.

By competing in the Ironman, Emilie has lived the mantra that we as parents tried to teach her at an early age. Set a goal... Determine what's required to achieve that goal... Do the training needed to achieve the goal... NOW GO FOR IT!! Emilie's success will not only be measured in time splits and finishing rank, her real accomplishment will be measured in what she has learned about herself as she has prepared for this monumental challenge.

The first time I entered Emilie's hospital room and saw her in a coma I couldn't wrap my head around the surrealistic scene. I was overwhelmed with the total devastation of Stevens Johnson Syndrome. I searched for a simple component to that situation that I could understand. I needed something, anything, to ground my emotions.

As the dawn breaks over Coeur D'Alene, my wife and I will join Dave's parents and every other spectator to cheer on the Ironmen and Ironwomen jumping in the lake that chilly morning. We will cheer their determination, we will cheer their fortitude, we will cheer their resolve to push their bodies to a point that most of us simply can't understand.

And we will give a special cheer for a young woman who has traveled an unbelievable journey. Emilie, we love you and support you... and we will be at the finish line with open arms.

Thanks Dad! Love you too!

To donate to the Burn Center, go online to www.uch.edu/donate. In the designation field, choose "Other" and type "Burn Fund (Team Emilie)."